Left Handed
by Iris May
Summary: John Doggett finally meets his match…


Left-Handed  
  
By Iris May  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Category: DRR  
  
Summary: John Doggett finally meets his match…  
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Disclaimer: John Doggett, Monica Reyes and The X-Files belong to CC and 1013  
  
Notes: This takes place between Release and Sunshine Days. This fic is also to celebrate Left-Handers Day on the 13th August 2003. All the information I got here about left-handedness I found on www.left-handersday.com.   
  
FALLS CHURCH, VIRGINIA, 7:11PM  
  
"Is it ok if I put some music on?" Monica voice called out to John from his living room.  
  
"Yeah, it's fine. Choose whatever ya what." John carried on searching in his kitchen drawers for a corkscrew to open the bottle of wine Monica had bought. He had invited Monica to dinner at his house on this quiet Saturday night. He had at first been nervous asking her, thinking that she had already made plans but she had merely flashed him that wide smile of hers that he loved and replied that she would be delighted to come. John had therefore spent the whole Saturday preparing for tonight. He had cleaned the house from top to bottom, been grocery shopping, spent the last few hours in the kitchen cooking and then finally spent an hour deciding something casual to wear before she arrived. He wanted to make sure that nothing went wrong tonight…  
  
John growled out in frustration as he rummaged through his utensils for a corkscrew. To be honest he wasn't sure that he even had one but he was determined that one stupid kitchen device was not going to spoil his evening with his partner.  
  
"Ah ha!" John cried out triumphantly as he found a small corkscrew hidden at the back of his last drawer behind the grater. It was a small basic cheap one that he probably got free from some alcohol event but it was a corkscrew nonetheless. He quickly whipped it out and proceeded to open the wine bottle.  
  
However as John tried to twist the metal spiral into the cork, he found that his left hand couldn't rotate completely with the corkscrew handle. It seemed as though the spiral was stubbornly refusing to enter the cork. John sighed and switched the corkscrew handle to his right hand, thinking that maybe using the "normal" hand might help to get the bottle open. John's right hand though was even worse than his left and in his hurry to get back to Monica, his hand slipped and caused the sharp metal spiral to skid off the cork and cut his left hand that was holding the bottle.  
  
"Damnit!" John cursed loudly and quickly placed the bottle onto the counter to put his hand under the tap. He winced slightly as the cold water made contact with the small wound and washed away the blood that was slowly trickling out.  
  
"John?" Monica came into the kitchen and saw the grimace on his face. Her face immediately shifted into a concerned expression. "John I heard swearing. Is everything ok?"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Everything's fine. Just go back to the living room."  
  
"What did you do to your hand?" Monica walked towards the sink and carefully lifted his hand from the water to examine it.  
  
"I ah, cut myself when trying to open that bottle you brought." John answered embarrassingly while feeling comforted by the feel of Monica's gentle hands cradling his carefully.  
  
"Well it doesn't look deep enough to need stitches. Got any band-aids?"  
  
"Yeah, err…in the drawer out in the hall."  
  
Monica went to get the band-aids while John dried his hand with some kitchen towels. He glared at the bottle that was still sitting on the counter, blaming it for already causing his evening plans to go wrong. It would be his luck that a wine bottle would disrupt the one time he finally had the guts to get closer to his partner.   
  
Monica returned and sat John on a stool despite his protests. She sat down opposite him and carefully removed any excess water from the wound with the kitchen towels. Monica then carefully applied the band-aid to the wound, making sure that it covered it completely and that it formed a proper seal. John watched her as she meticulously carried out her task, admiring how her silky brown hair fell perfectly around her pretty face. He was struck by how domestic the situation appeared. It was though they were merely a couple living together that looked after and cared for each other deeply.  
  
"There good as new." Monica beamed at him and patted his hand affectionately. "Even Dana couldn't have done better."  
  
John chuckled and examined his left hand. "Thanks. Ya didn't have to do all that ya know. I could have managed."  
  
"Yeah right." Monica answered sarcastically. "Anyway I just wanted to make sure that your blood didn't end up in my dinner. I'm hungry but I'm not about to resort to becoming like a vampire." Monica observed around the kitchen. "Is there anything you want me to do? Set the table? Help chop something?"  
  
"Nah, everything's pretty much done." John then spied the bottle by the side. He didn't want to ask her, but he had no other choice if he didn't want to end up smashing the bottle against the wall. "Actually Mon…" John's face turned sheepish as he held the bottle out towards her. "I'm know it's gonna sound pathetic and stupid but…would you mind opening this bottle for me?"  
  
Monica stared at John for a moment before a large smile spread across her face. "John Doggett wants ME to open a bottle for HIM?" She teased cheekily. "A man who was a marine, a cop and now a big tough FBI agent who has faced numerous criminals, monsters and even supersoldiers with hardly a scratch has been defeated by a simple bottle of wine?!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Lay it in why don't ya?" John muttered causing Monica to laugh even more. She took the bottle and began twisting the corkscrew handle with ease. "For your information I just can't handle corkscrews made for right-handed people."   
  
Monica had finished twisting in the corkscrew and pulled at the handle producing a loud pop as the cork was removed. She poured the wine into two wine glasses and gave one to John before taking a sip from hers. "Why didn't you get a corkscrew for left-handed people then?" She asked curiously, as she watched him toss the salad.  
  
"Not much point. Don't really have wine bottles with corks in the house. Mostly buy beer bottles that just have caps. Anyway, it was hard enough just finding that corkscrew." John gestured to the device lying on the counter. "Wasn't even sure if I had one to be honest."  
  
"What about when you're entertaining people? Don't tell me you only offer them beer and water?"  
  
"Haven't really had anybody over to entertain since I moved here." John answered simply, trying to hide the loneliness in his voice. "Except you…" He added quickly, concentrating in his salad tossing.  
  
Monica remained quiet simply watching as John rushed about the kitchen preparing dinner. She tried to think of something to say to lift the depressing mood that seemed to have descended on the house. She had been really looking forward to tonight and she was determined to make sure that both she and John were going to forget the problems present in their lives and to simply enjoy each others company for once.  
  
"Did you know that Christianity was extremely biased towards the right hand compared to the left?" Monica wasn't sure why she had spouted that little fact out but it was the only thing that came to her mind that didn't involve work that they would both feel comfortable talking about.  
  
John looked at her strangely for a moment but then carried on taking plates out of his cupboard. "Err…no I didn't know that. But then again you're the religion expert not me." He had at first been surprised when Monica had interrupted the silence with such a strange and unusual comment but he was by now used to how spontaneous she was at times. It was one of the things that he truly admired about her.  
  
"Well anyway did you know that in the bible there are one hundred good references to right hands but twenty-five bad references to left hands?" Monica rambled on before she tried to cast her mind back to when her conversation skills became so rubbish.   
  
"No kidding." John said dryly while sporting a smirk on his face. Monica blushed slightly, knowing how weird she was sounding but was glad that the atmosphere had returned to their usual teasing friendliness. "Don't tell me someone actually sat down with the bible and counted the number of references to hands?"  
  
"Well there have been worse things. I once heard on the news someone was counting the number of times the word "the" appeared in the bible." John looked at her with his usual sceptical look that he used on cases but she could tell that he was fighting to keep the grin from breaking out on his face. "It's true!" She protested with a smile. "Anyway, also in Christianity the Devil is often shown being left-handed while evil spirits are said to always be lurking over our left shoulders. It is why whenever we spill salt we are told to throw it over our left shoulders to ward them off."  
  
"Are you insinuating Agent Reyes that I am some sort of evil spirit or even the Devil himself?" John teased while trying to maintain the serious expression on his face. Trust Monica to know such an odd fact like that. The only other person John knew who would know such nonsense was a certain Fox Mulder. The main difference though was that John didn't think Mulder looked cute whenever he started reciting these little unusual theories…  
  
Monica giggled helping John to carry the plates and glasses to the table. "Oh John. If you were the Devil then I think God will find himself out of a job! You're too good for heaven itself!" She then carried on setting the table, not noticing the stunned look on John's face from her flattery. He gulped and hurried back into the kitchen before she could see the blush rising on his cheeks.  
  
Soon afterwards, both agents sat down at the table to enjoy their dinner. Soft music floated from the stereo in the living room while the candle highlighted the features on each others faces. It gave John the chance to admire how tranquil and beautiful her face was when not under the stress of work while it allowed Monica to let herself become drowned by the gorgeous blue of his eyes on his handsome face.  
  
"So how is it?" John asked her nervously, pointing to her plate when she took her first bite. "Is it ok?"  
  
"Are you crazy? It is absolutely delicious John!" Monica exclaimed while closing her eyes in delight at the taste. "I've never knew you were such a good cook! I kinda always saw you as the fast food junkie after those artery-clogging polish sausages." John smirked while Monica smiled back. "So much so that I kinda placed the number for the poison control centre on my cell's speed dial just in case."  
  
"Oh ha, ha. Very funny. Stick to being an FBI agent and not a comedian Mon." John answered sardonically but with a grin towards his partner. They continued eating, talking about general everyday things until Monica went back to the topic of his left-handedness.  
  
"So John, at what age did you know that you were left-handed?" She asked while placing a forkful of salad into her mouth.  
  
"Ya're going back to that topic? Jeez Mon! I'm starting to feel like a freak show now!" John took a sip a wine before eventually answering her question. "Think I was about six at the time. My handwriting until then had been absolutely crap and I was having difficulty using simple things like scissors. My dad was starting to think that I was mentally retarded or something. My teacher, who was also left-handed, then suggested to my parents that maybe I should try using my left hand instead and well…the rest is history."  
  
"Was it hard growing up being left-handed?"  
  
"Sometimes. Even when it was discovered that I was left-handed my writing still looked kinda bad. It wasn't until my uncle gave me a pen for left-handers that people were actually able to read my writing! I still use one today."  
  
"Really? Can't really tell 'cos I still can't read your writing at times." Monica smirked.   
  
"Hey!" John gave a mock frown and kicked her lightly on the leg with his foot under the table.   
  
"Owww, that hurt!" Monica said with a sad pout but the sparkle in her hazel eyes revealed the humour behind her voice. John chuckled at the adorable expression on her face also causing the smile to break out on Monica's. "So was there anything else that sucked to be left-handed?"  
  
"Well I still had trouble handling things like scissors, can openers, spiral notebooks, corkscrews…" John waved his left hand with the band-aid at Monica to emphasise his point. "Started getting a reputation for being clumsy. There were times when I would get so frustrated at being unable to do simple things like cutting paper easily compared to the other kids that I would then wish that I was right-handed like everyone else. I still do that today whenever I have to use the office scissors or a computer mouse that's been placed on the right-hand side of the desk. There were though a few perks of being left-handed. I was the only left-handed batter in my school baseball team. Meant that the coach often relied on me to catch the pitchers out during major games."  
  
"Can imagine." Monica said wryly. She chewed on a piece of chicken thoughtfully. "I read somewhere that in left-handed people the right hemisphere of the brain is the most dominant, which controls our creativity, perception and emotions."  
  
"Really?" John replied humouring her.  
  
"Uh huh. That's why it's generally thought that left-handed people tend to be more creative and visual thinkers. Leonardo da Vinci was left-handed, as was J. Edgar Hoover."  
  
"Hey, maybe then I'm destined to become the Director of the FBI one day." John joked. "I think though I might be an anomaly to those beliefs about left-handers. I'm the guy with the lack of imagination remember?"  
  
"Oh that's rubbish John. You can be creative when you want to be! A guy with a lack of imagination wouldn't be able to make a dinner this good!"  
  
"No, it just means that I know how to follow a recipe." Seeing that Monica had finished he began gathering their plates, waving away her protests to help. "You're my guest. Just for once Mon sit down, drink your damn wine and don't move your ass from that chair while I just get dessert." He then strolled into the kitchen.  
  
"You really know how to charm a woman, don't you John?" Monica called out sarcastically hearing John's laughter echo back at her comment. She however leaned back and relaxed in her chair, enjoying having this man spoil her for the evening. It seemed like a fantasy come true.   
  
The two X-Files agents then spent the rest of the night just simply talking and laughing with each other. It was nice to simply relax and just spend the evening as close friends and not colleagues for once. The wine had been finished long ago and both were now drinking coffee on his couch as they told each other stories from their younger days. They remained totally ignorant to time as it slowly ticked away. It was 11:00PM by the time Monica even glanced at the clock on the wall.  
  
"My God. I didn't realise the time." She exclaimed. "I'm really sorry John but I need to go now. I need to wake up early tomorrow to drive up and meet my friend in Philadelphia."   
  
"Oh, I didn't know that you knew anyone in Philadelphia." John said curiously, hiding his disappointment at her leaving already.  
  
"Natalie and I met in New York. She only moved to Philadelphia recently." Monica got up from the couch and walked to the front door with John following behind her. "We're just really meeting up to catch up on things. You know, girl talk."  
  
"Oh right." John replied as he helped her on with her coat. Deep down he was relieved that the friend his partner was meeting was a woman and not a man she was having a long distance relationship with. He wasn't sure he could cope with losing her to another man.  
  
Monica opened the door and walked out onto the porch, turning around to face John with a gentle smile. "Thank you for dinner John and for a lovely night. It really was the best Saturday night I've had in a while."  
  
"Yeah, same here." He admitted. "I'm glad you came Mon. It's been great to have you here…really, really great." John said sincerely  
  
"It was my pleasure John." There was an awkward pause as both agents stood there slightly unsure on what to do. "So, err…see you on Monday?" Monica asked quietly.  
  
"Erm, yeah. I'll see you on Monday." John answered softly. "Have a good trip to Philadelphia."  
  
"I will." Monica promised. She then turned to walk to her car but suddenly had a change in thought. Gathering all her courage, she turned around and came closer to John before placing a soft gentle kiss on his cheek.   
  
John was stunned, the feel of Monica's lips on his cheeks making his mind become blank. He almost missed the words that Monica then whispered into his ear before she pulled away. "I just want you to know that I hope you will always be left-handed. It is just one of the things I love about John Doggett."   
  
Monica then pulled back to look at John, her hazel eyes reflecting all the love she had for this man. She couldn't believe she had just said those words to John and was worried that they would cause him to retreat back to the dark place in his heart that he used to hide from life.   
  
Monica's fears though soon faded as John finally recovered from his initial shock. For the first time in ten years, his face broke out in the biggest smile Monica had ever seen before. He replayed Monica's last sentence in his head, not being able to completely believe that he was hearing the words he had only dreamt about hearing from her. He then realised that he had been too silent for too long by the anxious expression on Monica's face. He leaned down towards her ear. "In that case, I can honestly say that I've never been so glad to be left-handed in my life." He whispered huskily before he then surprised Monica by placing a soft tender kiss on her lips. It was quick but it confirmed his deep feelings for her.  
  
When John pulled away, Monica had a sweet smile on her lips while her eyes were half-closed from the feel of his kiss. She looked into John's face and was overjoyed to see the happiness dancing in his beautiful eyes. She was torn on whether to stay or leave but realised it wouldn't do for her to fall asleep at the wheel on the way to Philadelphia. She contemplated cancelling meeting her friend but then remembered what happened last time she bailed out on her. Natalie was so good at guilt trips that she could even make junk food feel guilty for causing her to put on weight. Monica's phone bill had been so large that month just from the number of calls she had made to Philadelphia to say sorry to her. Having made up her mind, Monica placed a final chaste loving kiss onto his lips. "Goodnight John." She murmured with a smile before she turned around and finally made her way to her car before she could change her mind again.  
  
John simply stood on his porch, the wide happy grin still plastered across his face. He could see that she had been debating on whether to stay longer and was slightly disappointed that she had decided to leave. Monica's last kiss though had assured him that there would be other times. He would just have to be patient for a few more days. "Goodnight Monica." He whispered as he watched Monica's car drive into the night.  
  
xxxxxxxxxx  
  
X-FILES OFFICE, 8:56AM  
  
It was an extremely cheerful and uncharacteristic John Doggett who entered the office on Monday morning. Ever since Monica left his house on Saturday, all he could think about was their kiss. John had been longing for the rest of the weekend to feel her soft lips on his again. He sat down on his chair and silently wondered when Monica was going to arrive. He then remembered that Monica mentioned that she had a meeting with Skinner first thing in the morning and John groaned as he realised that he probably won't be able to see her until at least ten. Fate could be so evil at times.  
  
It was then that he noticed a small grey box on his desk that was propping up a folded piece of paper with his name written on it in Monica's elegant handwriting. John picked up the box and examined it carefully before putting it back down on his desk in front of him. He then picked up the note and opened it to read the short message from his partner:  
  
John, I saw this in Philadelphia and thought you might find it useful. I get the feeling you might be doing more entertaining in the future…  
  
Monica  
  
John picked up the box again and proceeded to remove the lid, already knowing what it was going to contain. He however still chuckled as he saw the sleek metal waiter's corkscrew nestling in the box with a large label attached to the handle proudly stating "FOR LEFT-HANDERS ONLY!" He took it out of the box and examined how perfectly it fit in his left hand as he made rotating actions with his wrist. John grinned, already knowing that he was going to be entertaining his beautiful partner a lot more in the future…  
  
THE END 


End file.
